New thermal paste/New SSD on ~6 year old laptop worth it?

[xCloudZerox]

Before I start, I'd just like to say that I'm a pretty tech savy person, but I'm just recently crossing into PC hardware customization territory and the sorts. The closest to "tinkering" some sort of hardware has been replacing my PS3's power supply. 

 

I have a ~6 year old HP Pavilion dv7 (http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01550098&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en) and it runs HOT. So hot that it shuts off randomly and then right away while booting, and the fans always seem to be on. 

 

I know that it's reaching its end, but I wanted to know would it be worth my time and money to go ahead and apply some new thermal paste in order to cool it down a bit and make it a bit more usable. I am planning on just using some cheap thermal compound (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/antec-nano-diamond-thermal-compound/3742027.p?id=1218431588535&skuId=3742027&st=thermal%20paste&cp=1&lp=2) nothing too fancy. 

 

Also, I was considering throwing in an SSD while I had the thing opened up. Currently I have 102 GB free of 222 GB, so I really wouldn't need much. But would it even be worth putting in the cash (for the SSD) into such an old machine? Also, if you recommend an SSD, which one do you recommend? (Keep in mind I have no idea what the heck SATA, SATA II, etc, etc. mean. So you're going to have to point me to the exact product link, thanks   )

 

As a note, this is just a backup work laptop. I have a MBPR and a Surface Pro as my main machines. I just need this one to be something I can casually use for random tasks without the risk of corrupting data.

 

 

 

 

[Anthony10]

no, I hate my dv6 and tried it with my ssd and it still sucked, just get a new one

[Aniallation]

I'd say thermal paste would be worth it since it's only a few bucks and would make it a bit more usable (that is, if you actually want to use it), but an SSD is definitely not worth it for a laptop that old.

[79wjd]

but an SSD is definitely not worth it for a laptop that old.

well, keep in mind he may be able to reuse it in a future laptop/desktop, making it less of a cost issue. 

[MenciTooLoko]

well, keep in mind he may be able to reuse it in a future laptop/desktop, making it less of a cost issue.

I agree, if you ever wanted to build a pc or use it on another laptop or desktop you could easily install it and the thermal paste I'm sure that'll be worth it and maybe a some new ram with higher speeds would be good, laptop ram isn't really expensive

[79wjd]

I agree, if you ever wanted to build a pc or use it on another laptop or desktop you could easily install it and the thermal paste I'm sure that'll be worth it and maybe a some new ram with higher speeds would be good, laptop ram isn't really expensive

Higher speed Ram isn't that much faster since the latency goes up with speeds. And in gaming it makes no difference whatsoever (unless you're on integrated graphics). 

[aahrg]

Get a rather large SSD and transfer it to your next laptop when you do finally upgrade.

 

any recent SSD will be sata 3, although your laptop is probably on sata 2. It will still work, but it will be much slower than if both were sata 3. Still MUCH faster than the old hard drive. You will have to get some sort of a USB to sata adapter if you want to avoid fully reinstalling Windows and your programs. 

 

You can find even cheaper thermal compound at a computer component shop. They are all basically the same and you can get a tiny pack since it's only being used once. I also recommend grabbing some canned air and blowing all the dust out of the circuitry and the fans, as that contributes greatly to the heat output.

 

Shouldn't cost you more than 20-25$ at the most. Totally worth it to avoid burning yourself while you shop for a replacement. 

[xCloudZerox]

well, keep in mind he may be able to reuse it in a future laptop/desktop, making it less of a cost issue. 

I don't have any plans to buy/build a new desktop or laptop, but you do have a good point. Also it would be amazing if I could later pull out the SSD, when the laptop completely dies, and stick it in a portable casing to use it as a getto external hard drive.

 

 

any recent SSD will be sata 3, although your laptop is probably on sata 2. It will still work, but it will be much slower than if both were sata 3. Still MUCH faster than the old hard drive. You will have to get some sort of a USB to sata adapter if you want to avoid fully reinstalling Windows and your programs. 

So from what I can tell, SATA 3 is basically backwards compatible, and it'll future proof me (right?). So now when I go to amazon, and narrow my search to SATA 3, I also have the option of the size (1.8, 2.5, 3.5 in). Does that really matter, or do I have to look up the specific size the laptop can fit? 

 

Assuming that size wasn't a concern, this is the cheapest one I found (http://www.amazon.com/Eluktro-Performance-2-5-Inch-Internal-Solid/dp/B00KCH96BU/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1414386320&sr=1-2&keywords=ssd). Is this a good buy in terms of SSD quality? Or should I throw in a few extra $$$ (No more than ~$250 US) for a better rated drive. 

[79wjd]

So from what I can tell, SATA 3 is basically backwards compatible, and it'll future proof me (right?). So now when I go to amazon, and narrow my search to SATA 3, I also have the option of the size (1.8, 2.5, 3.5 in). Does that really matter, or do I have to look up the specific size the laptop can fit? 

 

Assuming that size wasn't a concern, this is the cheapest one I found (http://www.amazon.com/Eluktro-Performance-2-5-Inch-Internal-Solid/dp/B00KCH96BU/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1414386320&sr=1-2&keywords=ssd). Is this a good buy in terms of SSD quality? Or should I throw in a few extra $$$ (No more than ~$250 US) for a better rated drive. 

Yes, Sata 1, 2, and 3 are all compatible with eachother, it will just run at the speed of the slowest device. 99% of all SSDs are 2.5" and a 2.5" drive will fit in virtually all laptops, unless they use an m.2/pcie ssd (like rMBP). 

 

Get a Crucial MX100 or a Samsung 840 evo, whichever is cheaper (more than likely the MX100 will be cheaper). 

[aahrg]

-snip-

 

Amazon doesn't have the best sorting system. 2.5" drives are universal for SSDs and for laptops. 

 

As for brand, get a samsung, crucial, or adata SSD. certainly don't get an "eluktro" brand, they seem sketchy and you shouldn't trust your data to an unproven manufacturer.

[Guest]

Keep in mind that it probably doesn't run at SATA 6GB, so it'll throttle the SSD speeds significantly.

[TDP_Equinox]

Pavillions run really hot in general.
Replacing the thermal paste with a good one is certainly worth it.
If you dont need much space you can get a kingston V300 ssd (120 or 240, the price difference isnt large) for 80-110 bucks, so that might be worth it.
If the laptop fails a few months from now you can just use the drive somewhere else.

While you are in there get all the dust out

[Sephiryith]

I have a Dell M4400 thats about 5 or 6 years old as well. i have replaced it's aluminum tape thingys; thermal compound with arctic silver and some Samsung SSD, and i love it its a dramatic difference.

 

Try replacing the thermal paste first before purchasing a new SSD.

I'm pretty sure your laptop has a cooling issue. I used to have a pc i built that had the same problem, until i threw out and replaced the stock cpu fan that came with the quad core.

 

Edit: give it a good clean too.

[xCloudZerox]

Just a quick update:

 

Finally got around to applying new thermal compound but now the laptop wont start properly The LED lights throughout the keyboard and touch controls light up but just flash in regular intervals and the screen is just blank. Probably going to let it sit in the corner and think about its bad behavior  Going to salvage the hard drive though. 

 

Thank you for all the feedback on the OP by everyone. 

 

Side note: I'll most likely create a new thread asking about my new question, so continue with the help on there if you'd like

[BuntzenB]

removed

[TDP_Equinox]

mark topic as solved please.

[the-minister]

I get a blank screen pretty often when i clean up my 4 year old laptop. Turns out I just forget to reattach all the cables and connectors to the motherboard nice and snug. It drives me crazy, but its certainly worth it. Give it a try?